Blog
August 03, 2021
Free the Texas Hostages!
Tell Governor Abbott to Free the Hostages!
In a vindictive move, Governor Greg Abbot vetoed Article X appropriations from the Texas state budget. Over 2,000 legislative staffers are now living with uncertainty regarding their pay, benefits, and retirement contributions. These are not only aides to both Republican and Democratic legislators, but also staffers to non-partisan entities like the Legislative Budget Board, the Legislative council, the State Auditor, and the Sunset Commission. Talk about “Cancel Culture.” The current appropriation for these 2,000 workers runs out August 31.
League of Women Voters of Texas President, Grace Chimene, issued a strong rebuke to the Governor:
“Governor Abbott’s defunding of the legislature is dangerous to our democracy and undermines the will of the people and the constitutional set of checks and balances upon which our government is built…Of particular concern is the upcoming redistricting cycle, which is mandated by the U.S. and Texas Constitutions. The Legislative Council provides technical and legal support to the Texas Legislature during redistricting; and by defunding this nonpartisan agency, the Governor has jeopardized the Legislature’s ability to produce new district maps. This threatens our democracy. The census report comes out in August and a special session on redistricting is planned for early fall. Elected officials will now have to create maps without expert legal and technical assistance. The power of our votes is determined by how district maps are written… Our government and the people of Texas rely on the staff of these and other legislative offices to do the necessary work of our democracy.”
Free the Hostages that Governor Abbot has taken. The victims of Governor Abbott’s political theater have done nothing to deserve the uncertainly and financial instability they face. He chose to veto Article X and he can undo that action.
Add democracy to your bucket list and take action. Call the Governor (512-463-2000) and DEMAND the restoration of Article X funding.
Use this link to send a message to the Governor: https://gov.texas.gov/contact
Join Us and Make a Difference!
The vast spaces of Texas make it even more important that retirees work on-line to organize our fightback against takeaways and injustice. Day-to-day, more information is passed through our Facebook Page than anywhere else. Each TARA chapter also has a Facebook Page.
We also make live presentations on Facebook. Watch for a quick rundown of issues at 12:30PM Wednesday, August 4, from the President of the Dallas Chapter.
–Gene Lantz
